Sewing needle for cleat bookbinding

ABSTRACT

A needle for cleat bookbinding having a tube with sharp edges which carries the sewing thread between the pages of a book, and a shank into which the tube is inserted and restrained. The shank may be split to facilitate insertion and removal of the tube.

United States Patent Grimm, Jr.

[ Nov. 18, 1975 SEWING NEEDLE FOR CLEAT BOOKBINDING Henry G. Grimm, Jr.,1126 Waban Hill Road, Madison, Wis. 53711 Filed: Dec. 20, 1974 Appl.No.: 534,749

lnven tor:

US. Cl 289/18; 112/22 Int. Cl. AOlD 59/04 Field of Search 289/1.5, 2,16,18;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Taylor et a1. 289/2 X 1,972,9999/1934 I Kleinschmit et a1. 112/22 Primary ExaminerL'0uis K. RimrodtAttorney, Agent, or FirmTheodore J. Long; John M. Winter; Harry C.Engstrom ABSIRACT A needle for cleat bookbinding having a tube withsharp edges which carries the sewing thread between the pages of a book,and a shank into which the tube is inserted and restrained. The shankmay be split to facilitate insertion and removal of the tube.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SEWING NEEDLE FOR CLEATBOOKBINDINGBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionpertains generally to sewing needles and instruments used for bindingbooks.

2. Description of the Prior Art Two methods are commonly employed in thesewing or binding of the pages of a book. One method requires that thesewing thread be passed through the pages of the book in a manneranalogous to the usual sewing operation. The second method does not passthe sewing thread directly through the pages of the book, but ratherties the pages together at the spine of the book. This is accomplishedby cutting grooves into the spine of the book to form dove tails orcleats along the spine. A thread is then passed between pages of thebook at the cleats, with the thread being formed in an overlappingfigure 8 pattern, intertwining through the pages to tie the pagestogether. The instrument or needle that is utilized to pass the threadsideways between the pages of the book must be adapted to easily partthe pages and move between them.

The known sewing instrument used in cleat sewing employs a one-pieceforged or cast needle which has a flattened extended portion with sharpedges which passes between the pages of the book, and an expanded bodyportion which fits into a holder and which is forged continuously withthe flattened portion of the needle. The flattened or extended portionexperiences forces as it passes between the pages of the book in thefigure 8 pattern, with major forces being exerted by the pages of thebook on the flattened or smooth faces of the extended portion. Thus,large stresses and corresponding strains are built up at the junctionarea between the extended flat portions of the needle and the bodyportion of the needle. These stresses are exerted repeatedly and rapidlyas the needle moves through the book causing fatigue at the junctionbetween the extended portion and the body. This weakening of the needlehas resulted in frequent breakage of the needle and consequent down timeof the sewing machine to allow for replacement of the needle.

SUMMARY OF THE INMENTION I have invented an improved sewing instrumentor needle for cleat type bookbinding which resists breakage and has amuch longer life time than known sewing needles of this type, and has animproved and smoother sewing action. My sewing needle is also easier andless expensive to replace when necessary.

My improved sewing needle is comprised of a hollow tube having a borelarge enough to admit a sewing thread therethrough. The exterior of thesewing needle has opposite convex surfaces which meet in sharp edgesrunning the length of the tube. The tube is firmly held in a shank whichhas a recess therein which is shaped to closely fit the exterior of thetube. The shank itself may be split into two half portions to facilitateinsertion of the tube into the shank, the tube being firmly held in theshank once the shank has been inserted into a holder and has beenpressed-tightly together in the holder. A sewing thread is'passedthrough a passageway in the shank which is aligned with the bore of thetube, with the thread then being passed up through the bore of the tubeand out through the upper end of the tube. Alternatively, the shank maybe made in one piece and 2 the tube may be inserted into the recess inthe shank and may be held in place by various means.

In contrast with known cleat type bookbinding needles, the stressesexerted upon the tube portion of my bookbinding needle will not belocalized at one point along the tube, but will be distributedthroughout the surface area of the tube where it is in contact with theshank. Because the tube is formed separately from the shank, the edgesof the tube can be made as sharp as desired, thus facilitating passageof the tube between the pages of the book. My sewing instrument is alsoless expensive to replace since only the tube portion need be replacedwhen it breaks or is bent. Replacement of the tube is easily facilitatedwith the split shank by simply loosening the pressure on the shankthereby freeing the tube.

Further objects, features, and advantages of my invention will beapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing showing a preferred embodiment of a sewingneedle for cleat bookbinding exemplifying the principles of myinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my sewing needle for cleat bookbindingmounted in a holder in position to perform the sewing operation on abook.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my sewingneedle for cleat bookbinding.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sewing needle of FIG. 2 takenalong the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the sewing needle of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now more particularlyto the drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout theseveral views, a preferred embodiment of my sewing needle for cleatbookbinding is shown generally at 10 in FIG. I, mounted in a holder 11and in position to perform the sewing operation on a book 12. As shownin FIG. 1, a bookbinding thread 13 is passed through the holder 11 andthe sewing needle 10, with the sewing needle 10 pulling the thread 13between the pages of the book in the figure 8 pattern shown. The thread13 is, in effect, tied around cleats or dove tails 12a which are formedin the spine of the book 12 by cutting grooves at an angle into the edgeof the stacked pages of the book. The holder 11 is connected to abookbinding machine (not shown) which automatically moves the holder 11and the sewing needle 10 through the necessary motions to provide thesewing pattern shown in FIG. 1.

A perspective view of my improved sewing needle 10 is shown in FIG. 2.The sewing needle 10 has a hollow tube 14 which fits closely into arecess in a shank 15. The exterior of the tube 14, as shown in FIG. 2,is formed with two opposite convex surfaces 14a which intersect to formtwo edges 14b running the length of the tube. The edges 14b aredesirably made sharp in order to facilitate separation of the pages ofthe book as the tube 14 is advanced into engagement with the stackedpages of the book. The tube 14 also has a hollow bore which ispreferably circular in cross-section and is large enough to allowpassage of a sewing thread through the bore.

The shank 15 of the sewing needle may be split into two half portions aand 15h as shown in FIG. 2. The side walls of the recess in the shankare formed such that the shape of the recess will closely approximatethe exterior shape of the tube, to allow the tube to fit closely thereinin engagement with the walls of the recess. The recess in the shank isoriented so that each of the two half portions 15a and 15b of the shankwill engage one of the two edges 14!) of the tube 14 as shown in FIG. 2.The tube 14 is thus well restrained from twisting within the shank aslong as the shank half portions 15a and 15b are pressed firmly togetherover the tube. As shown in FIG. 2, the shank 15 is preferablycylindrical to fit into a cylindrical opening in the holder 11, and hasa flange 150 at the top thereof to prevent the shank from movingdownwardly into the opening in the holder. However, it is apparent thatthe exterior of the shank could have any shape desired to fit aparticular holder. A flattened portion 15d is formed in one of the twohalf portions 15a and 15b of the shank to allow a set screw 16 to bescrewed in through the holder 11 and tightened up against the flattenedportion 15d, thereby pressing the two half portions 15a and 15b of theshank together. With the set screw 16 tightened in place, the two halfportions of the shank are pressed together over the tube 14, thusholding the tube firmly in place so that it cannot move in or out of theshank or rotate within the shank.

As shown in FIG. 3, a major portion of the tube 14 is held within theshank 15 while another substantial portion of the tube 14 extends beyondthe shank l5 and is available to be inserted between the pages of thebook to be bound. Because the tube 14 fits tightly within the shank 15,any stresses exerted on the extending portion will be transmitted to theshank along substantially the entire portion of the tube which is fittedin the shank. Thus, stress concentrations will not tend to build up atthe junction point of the tube in the shank, in contrast to the knownsewing needles of this type which are forged in one piece and thereforewill have large stress concentration near the junction point. Anylocalized stresses at the juncture of the tube and the shank may beminimized even further by making the opening at the top of the shankslightly larger than the exterior of the tube, thus allowing someflexure of the tube to take place. To enhance resistance to fatiguefailure and breakage, the tube is preferably made ofa high strengthfatigue resistant metal such as stainless steel.

The insertion and removal of the tube 14 from the shank 15 is readilyaccomplished by loosening the set screw 16 to allow the two halfportions of the shank to move apart. A broken or damaged tube 14 may bewithdrawn from the recess in the loosened shank, a new tube insertedtherein, and the set screw 16 tightened to hold the new tube 14 firmlywithin the shank.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tube 14 is not inserted all the way through theshank length, but abuts against the bottom wall of the recess in theshank and is thus maintained therein and prevented from movingdownwardly in the shank. A passageway lSe in the bottom portion of theshank aligns with the bore 14c of the tube and thereby allows a sewingthread to be passed through the shank and into the bore of the tube, andout therefrom into the book being bound.

Although my sewing needle 11 has been shown for exemplification ashaving a split shank, it is apparent 4 that other techniques could beemployed to hold the tube in a one-piece shank. The one-piece shankcould be preheated before insertion of the tube, with the result thatthe shank will contract on cool down to firmly grasp the tube. The tubecould also be welded or adhesively bonded into the shank. The tube mayalso betapercd toward the end that fits into the shank, with the shankrecess itself also being tapered and narrower at the bottom end than atthe top, thereby allowingthe tube to be driven or forcibly inserted intothe shank re cess and thus held firmly in place. It is preferable thatthe recess taper slightly more than the tube to ensure firm engagementbetween the tube and the walls of the recess.

It is understood that my invention is not confined to the particularconstruction and arrangement of parts.

terior of said tube having opposite convex surfaces,

intersecting in edges running the length of said tube; and b. a shankhaving side walls and a bottom wall defining a recess therein, the sidewalls of said recess having substantially the shape of the exterior ofsaid tube to allow said tube to fit closely therein and ab'ut with saidbottom wall with a substantial portion of said tube extending from saidshank, said shank having a passageway therein which is in position toalign with the bore of said tube when said tube is received insaidrecess and which is large enough to allow the passage of a sewingthread therethrough. A 2. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding asspecified in claim 1 wherein said shank is split intotwo half portionsto facilitate insertion of said tube into said recess, said tube beingfirmly restrained by said half portions when said half portions arepressed together over f said tube.

3. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified in claim 1wherein said shank is heated to cause expansion of said recess beforeinsertion of said tube therein, whereby cooling of said shank with saidtube inserted in said recess causes said recess to contract with thewalls of said recess firmly engaging said tube.

4. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified in claim 1wherein said tube is adhesively bonded into said shank.

5. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified in claim 1wherein said tube is formed of a fatigue resistant metal and wherein theedges of said tube are sharpened to facilitate passage of said tubebetween the pages of a book being bound.

6. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified in claim 1wherein said tube is tapered and wherein said recess in said shank istapered and is narrower at the bottom end thereof than at the top end,and

wherein said tube is firmly engaged with said shank by being forciblyinserted into said recess in said shank.

1. A sewing needle for cleat bookbinding, comprising: a. a Hollow tubehaving a bore large enough to allow the passage of sewing threadtherethrough, the exterior of said tube having opposite convex surfacesintersecting in edges running the length of said tube; and b. a shankhaving side walls and a bottom wall defining a recess therein, the sidewalls of said recess having substantially the shape of the exterior ofsaid tube to allow said tube to fit closely therein and abut with saidbottom wall with a substantial portion of said tube extending from saidshank, said shank having a passageway therein which is in position toalign with the bore of said tube when said tube is received in saidrecess and which is large enough to allow the passage of a sewing threadtherethrough.
 2. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified inclaim 1 wherein said shank is split into two half portions to facilitateinsertion of said tube into said recess, said tube being firmlyrestrained by said half portions when said half portions are pressedtogether over said tube.
 3. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding asspecified in claim 1 wherein said shank is heated to cause expansion ofsaid recess before insertion of said tube therein, whereby cooling ofsaid shank with said tube inserted in said recess causes said recess tocontract with the walls of said recess firmly engaging said tube.
 4. Thesewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified in claim 1 wherein saidtube is adhesively bonded into said shank.
 5. The sewing needle forcleat bookbinding as specified in claim 1 wherein said tube is formed ofa fatigue resistant metal and wherein the edges of said tube aresharpened to facilitate passage of said tube between the pages of a bookbeing bound.
 6. The sewing needle for cleat bookbinding as specified inclaim 1 wherein said tube is tapered and wherein said recess in saidshank is tapered and is narrower at the bottom end thereof than at thetop end, and wherein said tube is firmly engaged with said shank bybeing forcibly inserted into said recess in said shank.